Adam on lessons learned

Adam

Where has the time gone?  It seems like just yesterday that I was stepping off of that brutal eighteen-hour flight with Marita, Ben, and Vernon there to greet us all.

Ben, Marita, and Vernon

                                                               
Time really does fly by.  I’m going to miss so much about this place.  I’m going to miss our house and living with the people in it.  I’m going to miss Table Mountain and the University of Cape Town that sits in its shadow.

University of Cape Town

I’ll miss my internship and the friends I have made there as well as riding the mini-bus taxis.  Most of all I am going to miss Cape Town and the laid back lifestyles that all Capetonians seem to possess.

Mini-bus taxis

                                                                   

Reflecting back on my trip I begin to see how much I have grown.  What I notice most now is my increased sense of independence.  Balancing an internship, classes, and recreational activities I have had to become more independent out of necessity.  I have learned about issues dealing with race and gender, becoming a more informed person in the process.  Working at the Black Sash National Office I have been able to develop a more professional attitude in the workplace.  I have learned the history of South Africa and the issues that are facing it today. 

           

So what is the next step?  I go home back to America and what will life be like?  I don’t really know until I actually get home.  Will I notice more racial issues than I did before?  Probably.  I will try my best to be an ally and work for social justice as much as I can.  At this point working for “social justice” isn’t really for my resume or for personal satisfaction.  Ever since I have been working and living here I have felt compelled to do the right thing simply because it is that, right.  I couldn’t have asked for more out of my study abroad experience in Cape Town.  I have grown in ways I never thought I would.  One day I hope to return but until then Cape Town will always keep a place in my heart.